Rappahannock Rose dines at Blue Rock Inn

Rose loves to dine out. Rose loves to enjoy a great dining experience. What Rose doesn’t enjoy is having to write a negative review. So let’s start off with the good news.

A Sunday evening dinner at the Blue Rock Inn on a beautiful sunny day, shared with a dear friend had great hopes. That view! Wonderful window table. Great conversation. Let’s order.

Jim McCullough, co-owner and chef, had already greeted us earlier with his absolutely wonderful, cheerful smile. You can’t help but like this guy! Then he delivered the sad news: his sous chef, his waitress and his bartender had failed to show up for work. He had a party of 30 in the pub and another table in the dining room, Oh! Oh! This doesn’t look good for us.

My dining partner and I both thought the menu was full of tempting things from appetizers to entrees. We wanted to experience as much as possible so we split two appetizers, a salad and a steak.

For wine, Rose ordered–what else?– but a recommended dry rose'. But instead of being poured at the table, my glass disappeared into the pub and came back full. I gave Jim the benefit of the doubt–he was running the place alone. (Later, I spoke to one of the persons attending the private party in the pub, who reported that Jim, drenched in sweat, kept running back-and-forth from kitchen to pub to pour drinks–for thirsty folks who had to wait for them.)

The rose' was one of the new ones coming back into favor . . crisp, dry and just a hint of fruit. Rose wanted to buy a bottle at a wine shop to try again, but Jim didn’t know the name of it . . ."one of those Australian ones with no vowels in the name." Good wine but no help there.

The good news: Our first appetizer was Rose’s choice, Cornmeal Crusted Oysters with a Cajun Remoulade Sauce ($11.95). Dusted lightly with cornmeal and sautéed to perfection, they were juicy and succulent and just crisp enough. Another plus was they were not overly seasoned and Jim had piled them high on a the tasty sauce. Yum! All gone in a few minutes.

The salad arrived next - the house salad ($3.95) with cucumbers, tomato and raspberry vinaigrette–fresh greens, crisp and a nice flavorful vinaigrette. Again, we both approved and enjoyed it. Another positive was the basket of savory bread that accompanied the salad. But we had a lot to come so we went light on the bread.

My dining partner had ordered a second shared appetizer which was a curried duck quesadilla with tomato, basil, salsa and sour cream ($9.95). Getting full from the big oyster plate, salad and the great bread and still having the steak entrée to come, we asked Jim if it was too late to cancel the quesadilla. Thank goodness, he was so busy he hadn’t prepared it yet and appreciated our asking to cancel. Hmmmm.

Now for the bad food issue. The steak entrée, Grilled Marinated Beef Medallions with Raspberry Chili Glaze and Blue Cheese Crumbles that we ordered to share was expensive by Rappahannock County standards at $28.95, which didn’t include a salad. It came with two sides, mashed potatoes (Rose’s favorite comfort food) and broccoli.

After a short period, our entree arrived. I wasn’t sure what we had ordered and the plates weren’t much help. The overdone steak was sliced, and fanned out under a very thick berry-colored sauce. Rose wasn’t sure what it was but her dining partner identified raspberries–"can’t you feel the seeds?"

The broccoli was grilled and seasoned so highly with herbs that the shape was the only clue that it was broccoli. But the very, very worst thing for Rose was mashed potatoes so full of "stuff" that they had no potato taste. A blind taste of anything on the plate would have come up a big UFO!

Not to hurt Jim’s feelings, we pleaded too full to eat any more and took doggie bags home. Rose took her take-home plate to a neighbor’s house just to get a third opinion. The friend agreed the plate had some unrecognizable things on it. Was the meat pork?

Jim, you are too nice and too talented to try to run a place alone. Get some help. To advertise as a gourmet restaurant and charge gourmet prices you need to deliver. You need to get help in the kitchen, a clean-up crew to clean the dining room (trash and a used spoon on the carpet, ugh!), a wait staff to serve, and a bartender in the pub. I have eaten your catered food at events and know you can do it.

But what happened to Rose and her dinner companion that night was inexcusable and more importantly the same reports had come from various friends over the past few years. Help! You have the best view in the county. The most potential for improvement and a county full of foodies waiting for you to put the pieces together.

Jim, please get some help and get back on track. What a great menu! What a fabulous view! What’s the problem? Rose gives the Blue Rock Inn Restaurant one rose. Hopefully a return visit will give cause for some more roses to bloom.